Mary Helen Leonard, author of The Natural Beauty Solution and professionally trained culinary instructor, shares recipes, projects, tips, and stories about living a more natural, handmade, and creative life with her family in Austin, Texas.

Little Bits of Gratitude: 03/52

I love Meyer Lemons, and you should too.

First of all, just look at them. They are super shiny and smooth with a gorgeous bold color. They are super tart, like most lemons, but also a little bit sweet. That touch of sweetness comes from the Meyer Lemon being cross bred with a type of orange (possibly a mandarin orange) many eons (or whatever) ago. The Meyer Lemon was brought to the U.S. from China, which is home to an amazing variety of wondrous citrus, and due to the recent popularity of specialty and heirloom produce, it has starred in countless recipes across the web. Check out some of the fancy places I found Meyer Lemon recipes!

I had a ball building some of my own recipes using Meyer Lemons over the weekend. After squeezing a dozen or so down to their pretty little rinds, I had several cups of Meyer Lemon Juice. I used some of it to experiment with delicious Coconut Milk Ice Creams, and then used the rest to create two lemonades. My first was a Sugared Pear & Meyer Lemonade. The second batch was a cheerful Pomello & Basil Lemonade. A recipe for that one will be up soon.

While they are still in season, go out and get your hands on some Meyer Lemons. 1 dozen will go a long way! The rinds can come in handy too. The colorful peels can be made into a delightfully tandy Meyer Marmalade.